Film focuses on pope's impact on North and South America

Contact: Andrew Walther, 203-824-5412, andrew.walther@kofc.org; Joseph Cullen, 203-800-4923, joseph.cullen@kofc.org; both with Knights of Columbus 
 
NEW HAVEN, Conn., May 11, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Knights of Columbus has been nominated for a local Emmy Award for its documentary on St. John Paul II and his relationship with North and South America.

The nomination for best documentary is being considered by the Boston/New England Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of excellence in television. The Emmy Awards is the most prestigious, peer-judged honor in television for exemplary creative achievement.

"John Paul II in America: Uniting a Continent" explores the indelible mark left on the Western Hemisphere by the papacy of St. John Paul II. It has been shown nationwide over the last year on PBS stations, CatholicTV of Boston and the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN).

The video highlights how St. John Paul presented an understanding of a "united American continent" under the patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It includes footage from his travels as pope from Argentina to Alaska — 22 journeys in all — that generated massive crowds, helped form an entire generation of Catholics, and played a part in shaping history.

Viewers and critics have been both intrigued and moved by the documentary's framework for understanding one of the giant figures of modern times within the context of the American continent.

Narrated by actor Andy Garcia, the film features rare archival footage and analyses from leading Catholic figures, including Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley of Boston, Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, John Paul II biographer George Weigel and former Vatican spokesman Joaquín Navarro-Valls.

"The Emmy nomination is a great honor for this documentary, which visually and textually captures the great renewal of confidence, excitement and joy for Christian life that St. John Paul made visible in such events as the canonization of St. Juan Diego in Mexico City and the World Youth Days in Buenos Aires, Denver and Toronto," said Anderson, the Knights of Columbus CEO. "The documentary also captures St. John Paul's willingness to speak out — no matter the circumstances — on behalf of human dignity, the gospel of life, respect for indigenous people, and a commitment to the poor throughout Latin America and North America."

The Boston/New England Chapter of NATAS represents all the broadcast markets in the New England states except for Fairfield County, Conn. This chapter's local Emmy Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday, June 4, at Westin Copley Place in Boston.